IT MAY have come five years late, but the decision by Borneo Motors to bring in the Toyota Wish Aero Tourer may be better late than never.

In an unusual move, Borneo Motors, Toyota's authorised dealer here, announced yesterday that they would be selling the seven-seater multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), five years after parallel importers first started selling it here.

But parallel importers and car dealers told The New Paper that they are unfazed by the competition, noting that the Wish is already an 'old model' in the market.

A spokesman for Borneo Motors said that the Wish Aero Tourer, equipped with accessories, will be available only from mid-August this year.

The company declined to provide details on the differences between the Wish and the models offered by parallel importers.

Borneo Motors' move has become a talking point in the industry because it is not common for a main vehicle distributor to bring in models that are being sold by parallel importers.

Mr Paul Ng, general manager of Vertex Automobile, the authorised dealer of China-made Chery QQ, said: 'It's about time they brought in the model. They should have done it two years ago.

'As the authorised dealer, they can give the best service and better after-sales care.'

But Mr Hans Tan, the director of Carmax, a company that handles parallel imports, is not threatened. His company sells the Wish for $73,000 with COE, with a waiting time of 2 1/2 months.

Mr Tan, 32, who first heard of Borneo Motors' plan to distribute the Wish last month, said: 'The Toyota Wish is no longer a competitive model for parallel importers. For my company, the demand for this model has been going down since two months ago.

'It is a five-year-old model, and more people are looking for newer models like the Honda Stream or the Toyota Isis instead.'

Mr Melvin Wong, business manager of Pinnacle International, another parallel importer, said: 'We do not foresee an impact on our business, because we have a diverse range of products consisting of highly popular models such as Honda Stream and Airwave that have given us a strong foothold in the industry.

OVERDUE

'The move is long overdue as the Wish is a popular make among the consumers.'

However, Mr Wong said that this will only encourage 'healthy competition within the industry'.

'It will stimulate growth and spur us on to offer consumers the latest, trendiest make and model.'

Drivers such as Mr Samuel Sum, 37, who booked the Toyota Wish two weeks ago with a parallel importer for $70,500, agreed that the increased competition is 'good for the market'.

Mr Sum said he had initially wanted to get his car from Borneo Motors for the 'peace of mind', because it is a bigger dealer and can provide 'good after-sales care'.

But there was one wish that Borneo Motors could not grant him. It did not bring in Wish models that could run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

Mr Sum said: 'With fuel becoming so expensive these days, it was very important for me to get a car which could run on CNG. Borneo Motors did not have a CNG Wish, so I had to go to a parallel importer.'